Letters: Remembering growing up in Lanesville

Share via e-mail

Thank you for such a great article about Lane’s Cove Fish Shack in Gloucester (“That’s how they do it,” Globe North, March 10), and it did bring back many childhood/young teen years there in Lanesville, 1958-1968.

George Morey’s old shack then — he did Christmas trees in the winter offseason by his house — and I can see what looks like Duke Turreta's shack also. I remember he told us kids his arm was bitten off by a shark and he had a special oar with a circle he would put the stub of an arm through, but I believe the true reason was an accident.

He used to set his nets off the old break wall to the right — as you headed out you could see them from the summer cottages — and bring in a dory full of mackerel, flounder, squid, and other fish sometimes. I used to fish of the break wall all the time.

Of course we did not have the diving board back then, just jumped off the rocks and there was a little bit of a sandy beach there by the shack. Then we also went swimming at Walker Hancock’s quarry up in the woods.

I lived up on Washington Street about a 5-10 minute walk to this shack from our house.

Best of luck on getting this landmark back in shape. If I were there, I would love to help out even with my bad back, but a little far, 10,000 miles away now.